I studied for 8 weeks using the Fitzgerald Review. I continued to work full time (3-12hr shifts). In hindsight 4-6weeks is probably good enough and I was scheduled to take my exam at the 6 week mark but then I got nervous and rescheduled.
Review Materials
I purchased the Fitzgerald Review, the ANCC Psych NP book, the ANCC Psych NP practice questions, the ANCC test taking skills, and the FamilyNPprep.com questions. All of them helped in different ways but ALL of them are not necessary to pass.
- The Fitzgerald Review was a great overview of the material...it is through and detailed
- The ANCC Psych NP book is the nuts and bolts of the psychiatric nursing.
- The ANCC Psych NP practice questions. These questions are expensive but worth it. This exam is more of a reflection of test taking skills than material. In other words the test questions aren't hard but you have to apply the knowledge and pick the best right answer.The ANCC website has free practice questions and if you can't afford the $109, do the practice questions..at least 2 of my tests came from the free practice questions.
- ANCC test taking skills $30. So basic. So worth it. There are 200 questions, you are bound to lose concentration/focus...this overview refreshes your memory on how to answer questions, what to do if you lose concentration, what do to if you are stuck between two questions, etc. Is this information a game changer? No, it's information that has already been out there and may be in some review books but as I was taking the test I could hear the narrators voice in my head when trying to decide between 2 answer choices.
- FamilyNPprep.com. The questions are nothing like the exam but it will help you go over topics more obscure topics like ethics, communication, negligence, etc. I ended up buying the 10 pack of questions...really you only need about 3-5 after test 6 the questions just got sloppy and unrealistic.
If I had to pick all over and I was short on cash, I would pick the ANCC Psych NP book for a review and the questions. I would also see if my college library has the Kaplan and Sadock Comprehensive Review, Deja Review Psychiatry, Case Files Psychiatry for practice questions. The questions from these books are unlike the questions on the exam but if you can answer them you know the material.
Setting up a Study Program
Decide each week what you are going to go over and put it in your calendar as an "event" so a reminder pops up on your phone. Review a new topic or two for a few days then reheorifice/review then go on to a new topic. If you are feeling overwhelmed about how you are going to remember everything... check out Remember everything you want and manage the rest by Helmut Sachs. This book is excellent in teaching you how to think about material so you can recall it whenever you need it.
Actual Test
This is a test of your applied knowledge. A lot of short scenarios where you have to know the information about medications for disorders, medication interactions (think inducers of CYP450), ethics, therapeutic communication (lots of questions on this) also as jamonit '13 stated in their post topics included "cohort observational studies, beneficence, sensitivity/specificity, Prochaska's, independent variables, and ethics/cultural questions." You have to know some basics of other conditions like thyroid disease, elevated lab values for a cardiac condition or autoimmune disease (think common diseases occur commonly). The test will ask you questions less like "A person comes into your office and hasn't sleep in three days, has a lot of energy, and has just spend $10K on antique postage stamps does this person has bipolar 1, bipolar 2, cyclothymia, dysthymia". Go to the ANCC website for practice questions...they are the real deal.
In hindsight I could have taken this test at the 4 week mark because it really was more about applied knowledge. But I walked in very confident that I had done/reviewed everything I could and that was half of the mental battle.
Mental Health While Studying/Taking the Exam
When I first started studying I thought, "man how am I going to remember all of this information" but week by week I was retaining the information. As my confidence grew so did my belief that I could pass this exam. I never held on to thoughts that I wouldn't pass..sure those thoughts crept up but I didn't entertain them. I'm also a big advocate of meditation/visualization; everyday I would meditate to reduce anxiety and to set my mind up to visualize a positive outcome. If you have never tried meditation, Oprah has a great FREE 21 day meditation experience with Deepak Chopra..its for beginners and it is great...go to her website. Also "Tapping" is a great way to alleviate stress...for more info on Tapping go to YouTube or look up the Tapping Solution on Amazon.com
Remember you can do this!! I hope this information helps.... I scoured this site looking for a concise understanding of what this test would be like and I found a few posts scattered here and there so I wanted to post this more comprehensive post for all of the upcoming grads! Good Luck!
